Metal Blade

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Metal Blade Records is an independent record label which was founded in 1981 by Brian Slagel. It has offices in the USA, Germany and Japan. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music Entertainment/ RED Distribution.

A music starved kid named Brian Slagel, killing time in suburban Los Angeles, gets sick of watching the local metal scene being ignored by the major labels. Working days at legendary metal emporium Oz Records and nights putting together one of the first metal fanzines, The New Heavy Metal Revue, Slagel asks some distributor friends if they’d be interested in circulating a compilation of unsigned bands if he put it together. The distributors said yes and Metal Blade Records was born. Of course it wasn’t quite that simple. Putting in long 17 hour days between Oz and Metal Blade, Slagel pieced together the bands that would grace the label’s first release - The New Heavy Metal Revue presents Metal Massacre. Metallica, Ratt and Black ‘N’ Blue were just a few of the willing locals. Except before Metal Massacre, Metallica didn’t exist.



So now for over 25 years Metal Blade Records has been setting the trend in heavy metal music without compromising it’s underground beginnings. Brian Slagel and Metal Blade Records have without a doubt had a major role in developing the American metal scene since day one and remains one of the most essential sources of metal music today.
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